Science has shown that when people have an internal motivation to lose weight, they are more successful in reaching their weight loss goals and keeping it off long-term.[1] When you are truly motivated to lose weight, you may even find weight loss a little bit easier. A strong sense of self and a strong desire can help keep you on track. To help you meet your goals and stay on track, work on creating, finding and listing your weight loss motivators. Then get started on a weight loss plan so that you can meet and stay at your goal weight.

Steps

Part 1

Creating Your List of Motivators to Lose Weight

1

Avoid external forces or others desires for weight loss. Although there are a variety of great weight loss motivators, not all are positive or should be put on your list.

There are some types of motivators that are not truly your own. These external motivators, many times, are imposed on you by someone else.[2]

For example, your spouse wants you to lose weight because they think you'd look better. Another could be that your doctor wants you to lose weight to improve your diabetes.

While these may not necessarily be negative or hurtful requests, these reasons are not your own personal motivations.

The most successful type of motivation is internal motivation - the personal reasons you want to lose weight, not because someone else asked you too. Aim to lose weight for yourself, not others.

2

Purchase a journal or notepad. Use a journal or notepad as a place to write your list of weight loss motivators. This is where you can take notes, write down ideas and finally create your ultimate list of weight loss motivators.

When you're going to create a list of weight loss motivators, you want it to be something you can refer to multiple times. Purchasing a journal can help keep this list nearby, but also provide you a place to journal your thoughts about weight loss and can be a place where you track your foods or exercise as well.

Purchase a journal that's appealing to you. Make it exciting for you to curl up with your journal and jot down notes.

When starting your list of motivators, start by taking notes about weight loss and your thoughts about weight loss. You may see some motivators come out of these ideas. You can combine this with other weight loss motivators that you're aware of.

3

List out any current health conditions. One area of your life that you might want to review is your health. Many people find a lot of motivation from this area. Whether they have a chronic disease or are at risk for one, better health can be a great source of weight loss motivation.

Think about your health. Do you have any health problems? Do you have high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnea? Did your doctor tell you you're at risk for a chronic disease?

Many chronic diseases (like high blood pressure or diabetes) are worsened by additional weight. In addition, if you're overweight, you're at higher risk for developing these diseases.[3]

If you do have these health problems or know you're at risk, listing your health is a great weight loss motivator.

For example, after speaking with your doctor, you might set a goal for yourself to "Improve your diabetes by getting your hemoglobin A1c to below 6.7%.” Or, you might decide you want to "Improve your lipid panels by getting your cholesterol level below 200 mg/dL."

4

Write about activities that you want to be able to do. Another common weight loss motivator for people are activities and events. Many people are prohibited by their weight and cannot participate in certain things.

Whether it's traveling in an airplane, riding a roller coaster or walking with your grandchildren, your weight can prohibit you from living a fun and active life.

Think about things that you've always wanted to do, but feel like your weight keeps you from doing. Have you wanted to travel to another country but feel too heavy for a tight airplane seat? Does your weight prohibit you from riding a roller coaster? Or does your weight keep you from getting down on the floor to play with your grandchildren?

If you feel like there are activities that you want to be able to do, these are great things to list as your weight loss motivators.

For example, a weight loss motivator could be to "reduce your weight enough so you don't need a seatbelt extender on an airplane."

5

Face your reflection. Many people that are overweight are also self-conscious about their bodies. If you want to improve how you look, take a look in the mirror and see if you can come up with additional weight loss motivators.[4]

Looking in the mirror can be difficult. But consider standing in front of a full length mirror and looking at your whole body.

You can do this fully clothed, wearing a swimsuit or underwear or even naked. Look at your body and think about how you feel about what you see.

Your weight loss motivator could be to reduce the size of your waist so that it is smaller than your next widest measurement, such as your hips or shoulders.

6

Get out your old clothes. Another great source of motivation can be clothes. Many people still have that old pair of "skinny jeans" or an outfit they're hoping to get back into. Use this as a source of motivation.[5]

Instead of keeping that one outfit in the back of your closet, bring it out. Try on those "skinny jeans" and see how they fit.

If they're too tight, this is your motivation. List "getting back into my skinny jeans" as a weight loss motivator.

Consider leaving those skinny jeans hanging in front of your mirror or in front of your closet. Looking at them every day can be a great source of motivation and encouragement.

7

Think about your family and close friends. In addition to intrinsic motivation (the type of motivation that's internal), there are some other sources of motivation to consider as well.

Studies show that those people who are overweight or obese have shorter life spans than those that are at a healthier weight.[6] This can be a great source of motivation.

For example, many people want to lose weight for someone else (like their spouse or children). This isn't because that "someone else" is asking them to lose weight. But because they want to lose weight so that they can spend more time with close friends and family.

Consider your spouse, parents, siblings, children or grandchildren. You want to lose weight so you'll be around longer to be with them, but also be healthy so you can stay active with them as well.

For example, your weight loss motivator could be "to lose weight so that I can carry my grandchild."

8

Journal about your self-esteem. Another area you might want to consider is your self-esteem and confidence. It's important to consider this because this will also affect your ability to lose weight.

Studies have shown that people who are overweight and obese, especially children, have a harder time with positive self-esteem. They're not as confident or proud of themselves as others.[7]

Think about how you truly feel. Do you feel uncomfortable in front of others? Are you shy to go out due to your weight? Are you unhappy with how you look in clothes?

These are all reasons that can be used as weight loss motivators. For example, you could list "I want to feel more confident in my body and improve my self-image by losing weight."

Part 2

Using Your Weight Loss Motivators

1

Make a vision board. A very fun and crafty way to use your list of motivators is to create a vision board. These fun boards can turn your motivators and goals into images that can inspire and encourage you.[8]

A vision board will be deeply personal to you. You'll stick on personal quotes, pictures and even your list of weight loss motivators.

To make your vision board, start by purchasing a cork board, white board or even grab a piece of cardboard. It can be as big as you'd like it to be.

Using your list of motivators, go through magazines, newspapers or books and cut out pictures, quotes, and sayings that match up with your list of motivators.

For example, you can cut out a picture of a roller coaster so it reminds you that one of your motivators is to lose enough weight to ride a roller coaster safely. Or you could put up a doctor’s note of where your blood sugar target should be.

Hang your vision board in your room or office so that you can look at it each day and contemplate all the reasons you want to stick to your diet.

2

Set up reminders and positive notes. Another way that you can use those weight loss motivators is by turning them into positive sayings or thoughts. You can post these up so that you see them every day.

Like a vision board, little sticky notes or messages can be a daily reminder of what your weight loss motivators are. Seeing them regularly can help you get a little boost of motivation or encouragement throughout your day.[9]

Think about your weight loss motivators and write up positive sayings or thoughts. Write them out on little sticky notes and put them anywhere you know you'll see them.

For example, you can stick them: on the refrigerator, on the bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car, on your laptop or computer screen or on your nightstand.

Write out positive sayings like: "I feel more energetic, happy and confident when I stick to my diet plan." Or, "strive for progress, not perfection."

3

Create a rewards system. Setting up and creating a rewards system is another way to stay motivated with weight loss. You can use your motivators to help you set up rewards for yourself as you get closer to your weight loss goals.

Studies have shown that if dieters set non-food related rewards at small and large weight loss milestones, they're more likely to stay on track with their diet.[10]

Use your weight loss motivators to help you set up your reward system. Plan a fun reward every 5, 10 or 15 pounds. Whatever works best for you.

For example, if one of your motivators to lose weight is to be able to ride a roller coaster, your reward could be tickets to an amusement park. Or if one of your motivators is to feel more confident naked or in a bathing suit, a reward could be a purchase of a really nice new bathing suit.

4

Review your motivation list often. Writing out your list of weight loss motivators is important and helpful. But if that's all you do, these key list will not be very useful to you.

When you first create your list of weight loss motivators, you may feel inspired, encouraged and ready to tackle any diet. Over time, these feelings can fade.

Once that happens, you need to review that list of motivators. Read your list over a few times and really ponder each and every one of them.

You might want to review your list often - maybe once a week or a few times a month. Think about what you've accomplished and what still motivates you. You may even find that after a while, your motivations change or there are additional ones.

5

Use your motivations to stay accountable. One part of weight loss that can be difficult to manage is accountability. If you don't stay accountable, you're not as likely to be successful with your weight loss.

Accountability can come in many forms for you. Decide what forms and how you'll stay accountable as you lose weight and then as you maintain your goal weight.

One of the best and simplest ways to stay accountable is using your scale. Hop on at least once a week. Studies have shown this is one of the best ways to maintain your weight loss.[11]

Also, go back and look at some of your weight loss motivators. You can also use these to stay accountable.

For example, those old skinny jeans. Try them on and wear them regularly. If they start getting tight, you know it’s time to make some changes. Or if you are diabetic and one goal is to control blood sugar levels, and you notice your blood sugar is going back up, you'll also know that it’s time to reevaluate your diet plan.

Part 3

Starting a Weight Loss Plan

1

Create your weight loss goals. After you've created and reviewed your list of weight loss motivators, get ready to start a weight loss plan. Get on the right track by creating your weight loss goals.

Setting realistic and attainable goals is an equally important part of healthy and successful weight loss.

Even if you're truly motivated by a variety of factors, if you set unrealistic goals you can easily feel like you're failing with your weight loss plan.[12]

To start, you should plan to lose 1 to 2 pounds total per week. Losing more than that can be incredibly difficult and may lead to unhealthy or unsafe weight loss techniques.[13]

For example, if you want to lose 10 pounds, it'll take you about 5 to 10 weeks to meet that goal.

2

Aim to cut out some calories. Regardless of what weight loss plan you choose to follow, you'll need to cut out some calories. The reduction in calories is what will fuel your weight loss.

In general, most health professionals recommend to cut out about 500 to 750 calories from your entire day.[14]

This correlates to losing that safe and sustainable weight loss rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Cutting out more calories than this can lead to you feeling more hungry, increasing your risk of nutrient deficiencies and feeling fatigued. To stay safe, never eat less than 1,200 calories daily.

You may want to consider using a food journal to track your calories. That way, you're staying accountable and know exactly how much you're eating throughout the day.

3

Plan to include regular physical activity. Listing out your weight loss motivators and creating a diet plan is a great start to successful weight loss. But don't forget about another important key - exercise.

Health professionals note that if you want to lose weight successfully and keep it off long-term, you'll need to include regular physical activity.[15]

Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, helps your body burn more calories. When combined with a modified calorie diet, weight loss will be more successful.

Include 150 minutes of aerobic activity (like walking, jogging or cycling) every week. In addition, include one or two days of strength training activities that work each major muscle group (like yoga, weight lifting or pilates).[16]